Hello all,
My mother has increasing dementia and a combination of health problems (Parkinson's, Hashimoto's). She and my father currently live in New Mexico and are considering relocating to the DFW area. My father is her full-time caregiver and it is getting increasingly difficult for him to do that job and take care of himself at all. Does anyone have any recommendations for care facilities in the area that specialize or are competent caring for adults with dementia? It would be ideal if it were a place that could offer part-time care for now, with the possibility of full-time care later. We live in Roanoke, so something accessible to us would be great. We are also willing to move to be near to a facility if needed. This is not something I have any experience with, so I really appreciate your help.
www.aplaceformom.com. It's a free referral service. They were extremely helpful in helping me find a place for my mom.
Good luck to you:)
Hi K., I cannot really help with your question regarding a care facility in your area. However, my mom has dementia and as a nurse I have worked with many patients with all types dementia. I have found a lot of families do not have a lot of experience and MD really don't provide much education on dementia so I recently created a website for caregivers of Alzheimer's type dementia, but all dementia's are similiar and my site may help you and your family get a better understanding of some of the problems you will face. My site is very new, so keep in mind that I will be continually adding information, so if you don't find information you are looking for you can check back or e-mail me on my site and I will see if I can provide an answer for you. Also there is a question and answer forum where you can ask questions.
My site is www.plaquesandtangles.com
Take care
PS if you do go to the website, look under long term planning and find several links to free websites that can help you locate different services including assistive living services
What an important job you have. :) Good luck.
One of the most important things you will need to do after you have received/ found possible facilities is to go and visit the facility and talk with the staff, and hopefully some of the residents. Members of the town/ where the facility is can also give you feedback. Senior centers can offer suggestions, as can a social worker, hospital staff, or rehab facility staff. Once your Mom is a resident in a facility it is also important for you, or someone visit regularly to be sure she is receiving appropriate care, her meds, and not getting bedsores or staying in soiled depends.
There are also graduated care facilities which allow a person to come in and live in an apartment, and as their individual needs change, the resident is moved to another section of the facility with more care, with the potential of being in the nursing wing. For some it also allows an individual flexibility to move back to the apt. if that were appropriate at some point in the future.- ie if your Dad wanted to be in a residential setting, where your mom might also be- but in different sections of the facility.
Best of luck to you, and all your family.
I am not in your area and do not have a location to suggest to you. I wanted to share that your Father probably is having a hard time caring for her.
My Uncle is currently suffering from dementia and Parkinson's. It was only 6 years ago that he drove 30 miles to my home for about a week and installed hardwood floors for me. His Parkinson's is bad, however, he has always been too stubborn to allow it to slow him down.
The dementia has been another issue and he doesn't have the same control. My Aunt has refused to institutionalize him so she keeps him at home. One of my other Uncles has now come to stay with them to help out because he is too heavy for her to move him, as sometimes cannot get up.
The lighter side of this, is that he is funny. My Aunt has come out of the shower to find the Henderson Police standing in her living room because my Uncle has called them. As well, she left him with a nurse while she ran an errand and later that day a Realtor showed up at their door. He had already started taking pictures of the outside of the house. My Uncle told him they wanted to sell the house.
Wishing you the best.
There is a place in HEB that is great I can not remember the name of the facility but it is off 183 or 121 and Brown Trail in that area. They have a hospital on the facility as well as may other ammeneties. Sorry, I do not remember the name of the facility but it is great.
I am sorry you are having to go through this. It is hard to find the best place possible, believe me, and my advice is to get a social worker involved in her placement now. He or she can help you with recommendations of facilities, based on your mother's needs. They have seen and dealt with the places so know what they are talking about.
Also, go into the places they recommend to see how they operate, and don't go at "designated" times, if you can't just drop-in, cross it off your list. Also, go online and research the places recommended, seeing what actual people say about them and how they rate them. And remember, looks aren't everything, the place can be brand new and have lousy caregivers, and vice versa. There was a place we considered, not attractive on the outside at all, but had the nicest rooms inside and a very caring staff. Dad never went there, he required hospice and passed, but we will use the place if Mom requires it in the future.
I have a couple of recommendations based on our experience a few years ago. My husband became the guardian of his grandmother who was in the early stages of Alzheimer's - we were her only living family, and had no idea where to begin. Some services charge $200 an hour to help you find elder care, but we found a FREE option. WWW.aplaceformom.com offers free referrals for in-home care, assisted living, hospice, skilled nursing - whatever kind of "elder care" you need. There is also a contact assigned to you who, in our case, would email to check on our progress and needs and sent us articles she thought would pertain to us. We actually went with a facility not on their list (it was a recommendation of a coworker whose mom had lived there for a year or so after having lived in two other facilties they did not like. We did like all of the facilities suggested by A Place for Mom though - we just liked our final choice even better!
Itis called Silverado and is located in Plano. It was one of the more expensive options (about $5,000 a month - none of the options we saw were under $4,000 a month for dementia care) but had some wonderful things to offer, and because his grandmother was much older and rather far along in her disease we felt comfortable that she had enough oney in her savings to pay for it. One of the great benefits they had that you should be mindful of, however you might like to avoid thinking about it, is end-of-life care many facilities will make a resident move once they need full care, but this place (Silverado, in Plano) has a range of care from assisted living, to full care, to even hospice care when that time comes. There is a nice garden around the entire building that is enclosed by a tall fence so that residents can have free access to the outside without concern that they will wander away. There is also a playground out front so that children can visit and have fun, and the residents can enjoy watching the children play. Resdients can also bring animals (once screened and shown to be social), and the facility has several animals to benefit the residents. When Grandma lived there, there were three dogs and about 5 cats that roamed freely, as well as a large enclosure of birds. There were family events held often to bring family and fun to the place - we went to most of them, and our kids and Grandma always had a good time. There was even a margarita machine on Cinco de Mayo! We were pleased with the staff and always felt Grandma was well taken care of. Silverado is part of a chain of facilities and has several locations in Texas and some other states (though not New Mexico). You can check them out at http://www.silveradosenior.com/senior_living/locations
We used this place to help find my fiances mom a place to live when we had to switch nursing homes. She has Multiple sclerosis.
They will assign you a caseworker and its free. They will help you do all the research you need. This place is fantastic!
The Search for Senior Living Simplified and Free
Helping seniors and their families find the best senior living options for their needs and budget for over 10 years. From independent and residential assisted living communities to Alzheimer’s and dementia memory care facilities, our knowledgeable and compassionate Senior Living Advisors will guide you through your search, providing local support and resources, empowering you to make informed decisions each step of the way.
See if there is an aging resource department in the county or area where they want to move. They may be able to help with suggestions regarding the facilities that offer what you need.
My friend has had her mom at Autumn Leaves in McKinney for years and loves it. Her mom was in a few different places because of her Alzheimers, and Autumn Leaves has been the best for her.
